This August a brave troop of 17 climbed the highest peak in North Africa. Having been told the trip would…
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Tildy’s Mountain Challenge
| Charity
Outdoor Education News
India 2012
A party of twelve Cranleighans accompanied by SAHY and two other leaders from Outlook Expeditions have just spent a most…
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CCF Summer Camp
| CCF
CCF Camp 2012 was held at Penally Camp in West Wales near Tenby. The cadets took part in a number…
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The Welsh 3000s 2012
It’s around 3.30am, zero hour. Nine, maybe slightly crazy, men are standing in the rain, eight of them about to…
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UVth Canoe Expedition
After four training sessions in the pool and four on the river most of us were feeling ready, although some…
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Silver Duke of Edinburgh Qualifying Expedition
The New Forest: 2nd-4th July The Assessed Expedition at Silver level of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is supposed…
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Gold Duke of Edinburgh Qualifying Expedition
The Qualifying expedition for the Gold Duke of Edingburgh is one of the toughest trips we do at Cranleigh; four…
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‘The Wild Within’ – Simon Yates
On May 3rd, sixteen VI Form students attended a lecture at The Lights Theatre, Andover, to hear the inspirational speaker…
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Gold Duke of Edinburgh: Morocco Team prepares in Snowdonia
Training for the summer Duke of Edinburgh Gold Expedition to Morocco took place in Snowdonia, north Wales, from April 15th…
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Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Practice Expedition
With record numbers doing the Bronze DofE Award, organising 84 LVth for their practice expedition proved more complicated than usual.…
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Gold Duke of Edinburgh Practice in The Black Mountains
Due to the fact that nearly one third of the year group has signed up for Gold this year we…
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Success at DW 2012
The bare statistics for this extraordinarily ‘British’ event are 125 miles of paddling over four days, from Devizes in Wiltshire…
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Silver Duke of Edinburgh Practice Expedition
Thanks to all the LVIth Gold helpers and the staff who gave up their time over the last three days…
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Training Weekend for India Expedition 2012
Despite a feeling a tad frazzled at this fairly hectic stage of term, the thirteen group members who were heading…
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CCF 24 Hour Exercise
This year nearly forty steely-eyed warriors readied themselves for Exercise March Hare – our annual overnight exercise on an Aldershot…
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‘Night of Adventure’ becomes ‘Night of Inspiration’
| Charity
On Monday 20th February, ten members of the Tom Avery Society had the pleasure of travelling up to London to…
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Character Development for the latest DW team
On Saturday 4th February Cranleigh’s Devizes-Westminster Canoe Team had their first taste of competitive racing. The Weyside race involved racing…
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Swimming on Top of the World
On Monday 20th January the Tom Avery Society had the pleasure of listening to Lewis Pugh, the “human polar bear”,…
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Paddlers show real potential
This year’s Devizes to Westminster (DW) Canoe Team has made a very encouraging start to the term. The first few…
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More Success for Cranleigh Climbers
| Climbing
The third week of the Lent term has seen Cranleigh’s climbers compete in two competitions, finding success in both. On…
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Tom Avery Trip: “Triumph and Tragedy on the Eiger”
The fearsome north wall of the Eiger occupies an almost mythical space in climbing lore. The aptly named Eiger (German…
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Across the Atlantic Alone
| Charity
On Sunday both Cranleigh pupils and staff had the pleasure of listening to a talk from Tommy Tippetts, an Old…
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Climbing Club Trip to Edale
A mixed bag of ten keen climbers boarded the minibus bright and early on Sunday at the end of Long…
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Golden Snowdon Practice
On Saturday 27th October, a group comprised of 9 UVIth, HRFW and PVP set off from school for Pen y…
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Everest 1953
On Tuesday 13th November the Tom Avery Society Committee, accompanied by other members of the VIth form, visited the Alpine…
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Gold D of E Expedition to the High Atlas
Following on from a successful trip this summer, PVP kindly offered to lead another trip to Mt Toubkal in the…
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Weyside Kayak Race
Paddlers at the ‘Weyside Kayak Race’ on Saturday January 26th competed in a 12 mile race from the Wey Kayak…
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Waterside A Race
Preparations continue for the Devizes to Westminster race. Sunday February 3rd saw 22 Cranleigh VIth Formers compete in their first…
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Waterside C Kayak Race
Sunday March 3rd witnessed the last of our three ‘Waterside Kayak Races’ in preparation for this year’s Devizes to Westminster…
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Silver D of E Practice Expedition
Cold we are used to (in fact I can think of several years in which the Silver Expedition has been…
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Gold D of E Practice Expedition to the Black Mountains
The summer term was about to start, spring flowers were supposedly in full bloom and the Gold D of E…
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Bronze D of E Practice April 2013
The dust kicked up by the start of term had barely settled before ninety odd intrepid members of the LVth…
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Tom Avery Lecture: ‘In Search of the Arabian Leopard’
| Lectures
With a speech entitled ‘In search of the Arabian Leopard’ we, The Tom Avery crew, knew this was a lecture…
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Devizes to Westminster
The Devizes-Westminster International kayak race this year turned out to be the most challenging in the event’s entire 65 year…
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Gold Assessed Expedition to Mid-Wales
The cohort embarking on their final Duke of Edinburgh’s expedition was the “doomed group” who had experienced nothing but foul…
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Silver D of E Qualifying Expedition to The New Forest
For many UVth students the period after GSCE exams have finished is a time to flop in front of a…
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Bronze D of E Qualifying Expedition: Surrey Hills
On the Monday morning after Speech Day a motley collection of Lower Fifth formers began to assemble at the Outdoor…
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Arran Summer 2013
Following an unpleasantly early start, two minibus loads of Cranleighans embarked on the long drive north to Ardrossan to catch…
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China Expedition Training Trips
In preparation for the School Expedition to the Sichuan region of China this summer, participants took part in a three…
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Climbing Club trip to Craggy Island, Sutton
| Climbing
With 2014 well underway and mock exams safely negotiated, the Climbing Club had a sociable outing to Craggy Island at…
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Ascending Scouts!
| Climbing
The Outdoor Ed Centre was visited by a pack of local Scouts on Friday 7th February who had been invited to…
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Night Navigation Exercise
Despite a fairly grim weather forecast, and the usual hectic nature of life at Cranleigh, thirty Gold D of E…
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House Bouldering Competition
| Climbing
The North House dominance of the house bouldering competition was finally broken on Tuesday. North had been undefeated until this…
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‘Waterside B’ Kayak Race
Sunday witnessed a further outbreak of glorious spring weather and the first of our ‘Waterside’ kayaking events this year –…
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Weather kind to Silver D of E Expeditionists!
Last year it was snowing; the year before it was freezing; the year before that it was both snowing and…
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DW Team Step Up a Gear
Last Sunday saw another training race instalment for this year’s Cranleigh kayaking squad as they prepare for the Devizes-Westminster International…
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Gold D of E Practice: Black Mountains
On the Wednesday before Easter two groups set off from Cranleigh to undertake their Gold Practice in the Black Mountains…
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DW 2014: PADDLING FOR A HARD EARNED MEDAL
The Devizes–Westminster International Canoe Race organisers proclaim of this event (without any undue exaggeration): “The race is a severe test…
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Camping Wild on Gold D of E Practice Expedition!
The last day of term saw 18 students, 5 staff and 2 dogs powering their way up the M6 to…
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Glorious Sunshine Keeps D of E Walkers in Good Spirits
“Severe weather” warnings were in place for the Saturday of the Bronze D of E practice and, indeed, many of…
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Sun Shines On Silver D of E Assessed Expedition
What a contrast to last year! In 2013 we endured three days of relentless rain and arrival at the campsites…
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SUCCESSFUL BRONZE D OF E ASSESSED EXPEDITION
On the 1st of July, more than 80 students set off on their Bronze assessment, wandering around the Surrey countryside…
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Epic Expedition to China
Straight after the end of term two teams left Cranleigh School for Heathrow and headed for Chengdu in the Sichuan…
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Climbers Make The Most of The Sunshine
| Climbing
On Sunday the new climbing year got off to a great start with a visit to Stone Farm, a local…
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National Schools’ Kayak Champions 2014
Cranleigh entered this competition (on November 16th) at Dreadnought Reach on the Thames for the first time ever, guided through the event by…
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Night Navigation Exercise
Palpable, if understandable, reluctance greeted the news that the current cohort of Gold Duke of Edinburgh participants would be heading…
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On The Water
Cranleigh’s kayaking squad (and current Schools’ National Champions) were in action again on Sunday at the International ‘Waterside A’ kayaking…
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Sun Shines on Silver D of E
On a spring-like Sunday morning several intrepid groups of Lower Fifth met up at the OEC, supposedly ready to embark…
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Gold D of E Practice in the Lakes
The start of the Easter holiday saw 14 students and 3 staff members heading north up the M6 to the…
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Devizes to Westminster Glory
Easter weekend saw the School’s kayak squad gather at Dauntsey’s School in Wiltshire to take on the challenge of the…
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Gold D of E in the Black Mountains
Being a little earlier than usual we were delighted that the Met Office was promising good weather for the Gold…
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Bronze D of E Practice Expedition
Twelve groups of would-be expeditioners assembled on the South Lawn on the afternoon of Sunday 26th April, nervously hefting their…
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Mid Wales Expedition
The day after the last AS exam twelve members of the L6th headed off on their Gold Duke of Edinburgh…
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Scaling Scarfell
The Gold Lakes assessment began with stunning weather and, with no excuses for becoming lost, the two groups set off…
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Silver D of E Expedition to the New Forest.
As soon as GCSEs were finished four intrepid groups of UVth Cranleighans set off for the New Forest to complete…
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Itchenor Schools’ Sailing Week
It is a generation since Cranleigh entered Itchenor Schools Championships which is the most prestigious schools’ sailing event in the…
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Hiking in the Surrey Hills
At the hectic end of a frantic term, over seventy keen expeditioners assembled at the Outdoor Education Centre ready to…
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CCF Summer Camp
| CCF
One week after the end of term a platoon of Cranleigh’s finest attended 11 Brigade CCF Central Camp in East…
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Scottish Mountaineering
| Climbing
Bright and early on the last Monday of the Summer Holidays, a keen group of sixth formers assembled for the…
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Ski Team Trip to the USA
During the first week of the Christmas holiday, 32 members of the newly formed ski team attended a week of…
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Paddlers Gear Up for Their Marathon
In near perfect paddling conditions, last Sunday saw a nervous, apprehensive but excited group of paddlers gathered in a small…
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Summit and Survive
This term’s Tom Avery Society Lecture was given by Dr Adele Pennington, one of Britain’s foremost mountaineers who has summited…
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Night Navigation Put to the Test
Last Saturday night saw the Gold D of E candidates putting their navigational skills to the test in preparation for the…
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A Chilly D of E Experience!
As usual the Silver Practice Expedition took place in the Surrey Hills to the North of Cranleigh and as usual…
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Easter in the Black Mountains
As parents arrived to retrieve their charges for the Easter break, an intrepid bunch of venturers set off on Maundy…
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DW Marathon
Bright and early on the morning of the 25th of March, 12 nervous, but excited, Cranleigh paddlers joined the throng that…
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Practice Expedition in the Surrey Hills
April has a reputation for strange weather, and this year has certainly been no exception. Over the course of the two…
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Cranleighans Take to the Water…
Last year Cranleigh entered its first sailing event for a generation and this year we are continuing the process of…
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Journey to the North Pole
A select audience was treated to a wonderful lecture by Chris Cope about his journey to the North Pole to raise…
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D of E Success Celebrated at Buckingham Palace
On 16th May 2016, The Headmaster, Mr Martin Reader and Head of Outdoor Education, Dr Simon Young, attended a Duke…
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Gold D of E Assessed Expedition to Mid-Wales.
The Inuit of Greenland are falsely held to have dozens of different words for “snow” – in fact they don’t.…
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Silver DofE Qualifying Expedition: The New Forest
Once again the weather forecast was indicating that we might not make it through our adventure with dry socks and…
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Itchenor Schools’ Sailing Week
Five Cranleigh crews, from the Lower Fifth and Fourth Forms entered Itchenor Schools Week this year for the second time.…
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Bronze DofE Assessed Expedition
Hooray! Some decent weather at last! Right after Speech Day seventy members of the LVth gathered on the South Lawn…
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DofE Night Navigation
After a quick briefing and a fish and chip supper down at the OEC, the latest cohort of Gold candidates…
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Devizes-Westminster race preparations
Sunday saw the start of this year’s Devizes to Westminster race squad build up to the main event at Easter.…
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Silver D of E practice in the Surrey Hills
The silver practice expedition was scheduled for the busiest time of a very busy term. Fortunately all the participants were…
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Gold D of E Practice Expedition: Black Mountains
Two groups of apprehensive Gold candidates eventually arrived at the OEC ready for the drive to South Wales. Once over…
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Bronze D of E Practice Expedition
The Bronze Practice is always an interesting expedition, as for many of the candidates it is the first time that…
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Gold D of E Qualifying Expedition to Mid-Wales
Well that was a turn up for the books! Most of our training is focused on how to navigate in…
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Assessed Silver D of E Expedition
Not just mad dogs and Englishmen evidently…22 stoic Cranleighans endured the midday sun last week across the open heathland of…
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Bronzing on D of E Bronze Qualifying Expedition
Inevitably spirits were a little jaded at the end of a long and testing term, so it was understandable that…
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Scottish Highlands mountaineering trip
As a final flourish to the summer holidays, eight Cranleighans of mixed ages and experience headed up to the Scottish…
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CCF on Parade Tiger 25
| CCF
Fourteen cadets from Cranleigh CCF took part in a parade to mark the 25th anniversary of the Princess of Wales’s…
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Hare and Hounds Race
| Canoeing
A rather chilly Sunday morning saw our novice paddlers enter their first race after only a couple of months experience…
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National Schools Regatta 2017
| Canoeing
A beautiful day saw 10 nervous Cranleighans arrive on the banks of the Thames outside of Reading to take part…
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Wey Kayak Club Hare and Hounds
| Canoeing
On Sunday 26th November we were blessed with yet another glorious day for our second pursuit race to St Catherine’s…
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India Expedition Training Weekend
On Friday evening, as most Cranleighans drove off for a much anticipated long weekend’s rest, the India Expedition team extracted…
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DW in Training: Waterside A Race
After the relatively gentle warm up of the Hare and Hounds races at our home venue – the Wey Kayak…
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Thameside 2
| Canoeing
High pressure conditions ensured beautiful clear skies, but a rather chilly start and a biting headwind as the Cranleigh crews…
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Silver Duke of Edinburgh Practice Expedition
Surrey Hills: Wednesday 21st – Friday 23rd March Despite snow and ice only 48 hours previously, the weather turned kind…
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Gold Practice Expedition
This year the Gold practice was significantly earlier than other years, as was abundantly clear from the paucity of lambs…
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Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race 2018
| Canoeing
This year was the 70thanniversary of the demanding four day, 125 mile paddle along the Kennet and Avon Canal to…
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Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Practice Expedition
For many of the Lower Fifth Formers coming out on their Bronze practice expedition last weekend, this was their first…
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Bronze D of E Expedition
We are just back from a glorious Assessed Expedition in the local Surrey Hills. Twelve separate Bronze teams were on…
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Silver D of E Assessed Expedition
Having had their Prom only hours before, the ‘arrival of the living dead’ best describes the gathering of bleary eyed candidates…
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Gold D of E Assessed Expedition: Lake District
This year the Gold group decided to visit the Lake District for their Assessed Expedition. Stunning scenery, wonderful wild camps…
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Gold DofE Practice Expedition
While the rest of the School was filing into Speech Hall for final assembly, the first of the Gold DofE…
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CCF AT Camp
| CCF
The aim of this years Adventure Training Camp was to ‘develop individual courage and leadership skills through controlled exposure to…
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Gold DofE Expedition
On Monday 8th April the team met at the OEC, checked kit, re-packed and loaded onto the bus before making…
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Bronze Practice Expedition
Fifty one students set out on their Bronze Practice Expedition this weekend on the 28th April. The weather held up…
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Bronze D of E Qualifying Expedition
As usual the advent of a Bronze DofE Expedition was heralded in the Houses by additional trip hazards cluttering up…
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Silver DofE Expedition – Summer 2019
End of term prom the night before, probably wasn’t the best prelude to any DofE expedition. Nonetheless, 17 Silver candidates…
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Gold DofE Expedition to the Lake District
I did check the calendar; it was August; we were in the Northern Hemisphere and it was still supposedly summer.…
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Girls Inter-House Bouldering Competition
On the 5th November the girls Houses took part in the first bouldering comp of the year. Teams of three…
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Bronze DofE Expedition
This week we took 64 students from the Lower Fifth on their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Expedition. There were a…
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Fourth Form Outdoor Adventures
On Monday and Tuesday the whole of the Fourth Form were out of lessons taking part in a couple of…
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Buzz at the Bouldering
| Climbing
What a delight to have the Outdoor Ed Centre full smiles, laughter and cheering as it is meant to be.…
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Dr Young and Britain’s 3000ft Mountains
Britain is blessed with 529 mountains over 3000 ft (914.4m) which Dr Simon Young has been steadily ticking off over…
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529 mountains? Why not!
For no particular reason other than “why not?” in 2014 I decided to try and climb all 529 of Britain’s…
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Southern Schools Climbing Competition in Brighton
| Climbing
On Thursday 18th November the climbing team headed to High Sports Climbing Centre in Brighton. Despite the team being disseminated…
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